Wildguzzi.com

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: wavedog on February 04, 2021, 12:38:42 PM

Title: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: wavedog on February 04, 2021, 12:38:42 PM
  I just heard about his passing. A 4 year battle with cancer. He will be missed, and the legacy of a great museum and his personality will live on.

   Condolences to his family.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: JJ on February 04, 2021, 02:27:18 PM
Terrible news...
I had the pleasure of meeting Dale and his son Matt several times at his Museum in NC, and several AMCA meets, as well as the Mecum vintage auction in Vegas. 
My sincere condolences to his family...R.I.P. Dale and Godspeed...


(https://i.ibb.co/7nL0J4S/IMG-0490.jpg) (https://ibb.co/7nL0J4S)

(https://i.ibb.co/YbTR6yj/IMG-0489.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YbTR6yj)
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: cliffrod on February 04, 2021, 03:10:25 PM
Sad to hear but not surprised.  He's had a tough few years and Matt has been doing much of what Dale used to do. 

The local AMCA chapter gave Dale an award at our 2019 Antique Bikes On Main rally. Dale's health challenges meant was not able to attend to receive it.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: Motormike on February 04, 2021, 03:55:39 PM
I met Dale when he still had his museum/Harley dealership in Mt. Vernon, I’ll. I toured the museum, and Dale wanted to show me their very first TC88 Soft tail, which Harley had counterbalanced. It was a bright yellow Fatboy. Dale wanted me to take it for a spin. I told him I wasn’t in the market for a new bike.  “That doesn’t matter, take it for a ride!”  So I did.  I was quite impressed with how smooth it was compared to the old solid mount bikes.  Dale was quite a guy.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: Dave Swanson on February 04, 2021, 04:28:05 PM
An amazing guy to put it mildly.  He had the energy of 10 good men.  I had the pleasure of speaking with him a few times and getting to know his son Matt a bit. 
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: twodogs on February 04, 2021, 04:59:44 PM
Oh man sad news indeed, I got the pleasure of meeting him at the antique swap meet in Davenport ia .then in 2015 me and the wife rode down there to the museum, he pulled up on a old hack and asked if we rode the Guzzi's from ia and was very happy to see us, then he looked at my wife and said she needed a water, it was a 100' day, he showed us most of the museum, spent about 2hrs with us before he had to go start a bike, my wife was very impressed.
RIP Dale, condolences to the family.
Bruce
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: JJ on February 04, 2021, 05:06:22 PM
Just got this email from The Wheels of Time Museum...Again, sad news, and R.I.P. Dale and Godspeed...

https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/196463?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sb2dpbi55YWhvby5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALqEZYQ-MLspkdRna2QP_tF_Sx_CvAaeFaKD8RwNwkrmmDoW0Yv8vLe1eVYN53d6oAaxR23_Kct83-AgeiPybktn7msaFdHS5OI-a8r8a02nZLPzialH8kRbQte5MdwodZHgPORX2-4DaLY1NvGPKrKdH-n-ee5Df2ecbbD9idkd
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: BrotherJim on February 04, 2021, 07:34:20 PM
I had the good fortune to spend some time with Dale at his museum in Maggie a number of years ago.  A great guy that will be missed by many, no doubt.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: Guzikid on February 04, 2021, 09:29:21 PM
 My wife and I traveled to his H-D dealership in 1992 to pick up my first Buell.  What a super guy !  We spent all afternoon with him and all his many old motorcycles he had crammed into the big building behind the H-D dealership. His enthusiasm was contagious !  We ran into him here and there every few years after that.  Been a while since I talked with him......The motorcycle world has lost a great one for sure !!!  The Kid
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: LowRyter on February 04, 2021, 09:38:57 PM
My goodness.  I didn't know he was ill.  I hope his son is able to continue. 

(https://g3.img-dpreview.com/0B9100C348B1428B8504F8A46DD18AFF.jpg)

Dale + Crocker burnout
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: tommy2cyl on February 05, 2021, 02:16:03 PM
Met Dale when I stopped in to WTT on a m/c trip about 8 years ago.  There was this unique 125 cc ride out the parking lot that had gear strapped all over it including a spare tire, like someone was touring.  My pal and I met the guy that owned the bike inside the museum.  He was from the Netherlands and he was in fact touring for 2 years on the bike.  The bike had a Suzuki motor and Kawasaki frame, or vice versa.  Some co brand production bike he bought in Europe.  Anyway, he was just a delightful fellow and meeting him gave me a reason to approach Dale and tell him about the guy.  Dale was super excited to meet the guy and then went out to the parking lot to check out his ride.  Then he had him roll his bike up to the front door of the museum and had one of his staff take several pictures with the gent, arm around him like they were long lost brothers.  It was a quite a moment to be part of.  Dale will be sorely missed but is leaving one hell of a legacy, not only the museum but the energy he put into it.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: Chuck in Indiana on February 05, 2021, 04:05:39 PM
A couple of years or so ago, The Kid and I spent a week riding to the blue ridge and that area. We stopped at Wheels through Time on a slow day, fortunately. When he saw the Guzzi shirts and realized we were gear heads, we got an all day tour. (!)
RIP sir.. you were one of a kind.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: HarveyMushman on February 05, 2021, 04:32:23 PM
I didn't know the man but I stopped by the museum on a long-weekend Stelvio ride a couple years ago.  Cool place.  RIP.

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-QxNNPwt/0/X4/i-QxNNPwt-X4.jpg)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-MHLtfLJ/0/X4/i-MHLtfLJ-X4.jpg)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-M5w5mTh/0/X4/i-M5w5mTh-X4.jpg)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-RwL62wW/0/X4/i-RwL62wW-X4.jpg)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-X298rDG/0/X5/i-X298rDG-X5.jpg)
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: guzzimatic on February 06, 2021, 11:18:40 AM
Back in the mid 90’s I raced my Norton TT flat track replica for a few years at Davenport half mile on Friday night then go to Springfield to watch the mile and participate in the vintage pits,free pass and a couple of laps following the Motor Maids...one year they said we got 2 hot laps,no Motor Maids! It was an eye opening experience,one I will cherish forever! The Dale connection came at the end of the day,I needed to load the Norton into my truck and was just beat,long weekend,and Dale asked if I needed a hand.Sure says I and he helped push the bike up the ramp...just a small thing but meant the world to me...
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: Yukonica on February 10, 2021, 09:24:28 PM
Came across this wonderful video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HYhlb99gA8
Never met the man, never heard of the man.
Apparently my loss ~ along with that of so many others.
Peace upon you Dale. You obviously truly graced the earth with your presence.
Title: Re: Dale Walksler passed Feb 3rd. Wheels thru Time museum.
Post by: F-Fred on February 11, 2021, 07:38:43 AM
RIP Dale.  He was a super friendly, knowledgeable dude.

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-WshPQrv/0/90e3364c/X2/i-WshPQrv-X2.jpg)

(https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-xTF5tdW/0/26096eaf/X2/i-xTF5tdW-X2.jpg)